Tag: Long Island Occupational Therapy

I’m sure you’ve heard of Mom guilt, Daughter Guilt, and Irish Guilt, but have you ever heard of Therapist Guilt?

I may have invented it…

You’ve probably read letters and blog posts written toward the parents of children with special needs; talking about how strong they are and how hard they work to help their children.

It’s true. But many of those selfless parents still have “The Guilts”.

WHAT ARE “THE GUILTS”?

When you have “the guilts”, there is always something you feel guilty about. It could be about not having a spic-n-span house, not being able to go to loud family events, or losing your patience with a child with special needs. The guilt is always there.

An exciting guest post from 4th-grade teacher, Jennifer O’Brien about the Hidden Benefits of Flexible Seating!

*This post contains affilaite links

Prior to implementing flexible seating in my classroom, I did A LOT of research. A flexible seating transformation is so much more than just buying new furniture. There are rules and expectations that must be clearly communicated to the students to ensure an easy transition. While I prepared myself for this change, I learned about some of the benefits of flexible seating:

Comfort: Students are more comfortable, allowing them to focus for longer periods of time. This leads to higher academic achievement.

Differentiated Seating: Flexible seating is essentially “differentiated” seating. There are many different choices, some options giving children the sensory input that they need.

Improved Behavior: Students are less disruptive and are able to burn off energy throughout the day.

The “hidden benefits”

When I made this commitment, I never would’ve thought that I’d see such positive changes (so quickly, too!) within my classroom.

New Friendships

With flexible seating, students aren’t tied down to one desk or seating arrangement. Throughout the day, they are sitting with different children. I have seen new friendships grow from this and I feel like it has only brought my students, and my class as a whole, closer.

Collaboration

Tables replaced the desks that were removed from my classroom during this transformation. I’ll admit- I was nervous that this would lead to a much noisier room, but that did not happen. Instead, I found that there was more productive chatter around the classroom. Tables foster a much more collaborative learning environment. I feel that this has also led to the development of stronger social skills in many of my students.

FREEBIE: Choosing the Right Alternative Seating Option

Improved Self-Monitoring Skills

The purpose of flexible seating is to give students the power of choice. They should be comfortable and ready to learn. This has been one of the more challenging skills to master but it has helped my students develop a necessary awareness throughout the school day. When I ask students to choose a “smart spot”, they know what is expected of them. It has been amazing to see them mature with this concept, understanding what both concentration and productivity should look like. When students feel like they cannot focus or that need to move, they may do so.

Stronger Classroom Management

Since I was rolling outthis transformation mid-year, I knew that my classroom management had to be strong. Clear rules and expectations arecritical and must remain consistent. Seeing my students understand the daily routine and take responsibility for their learninghas been incredible.I’ve learned so much through this experience, and I believe it has made me a stronger, more effective teacher. Stronger classroom management is definitely a hidden benefit of flexible seating!

Interested in learning more about Alternative Seating? Check out:

It’s almost Back to School time! Get 50% off the Guide to Alternative Seating for the Classroom until the end of August. Use Promo Code: BTS50

Jennifer O’Brien has a Master’s degree in Literacy from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue, N.Y.. She is General Education and Special Education certified birth-6th grade. Jennifer has been a public school teacher on Long Island for 3 years. In her spare time, she enjoys creating supplemental resources for her students to use as well as reading and going to the beach! Check out Jennifer’s Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

As a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I hear this from a lot of moms and teachers. Pencil and crayon grip is important, and it can be difficult to change when a child gets older.

But there’s hope! I promise!

CASE STUDY: HARRY

This is Harry, a 4-year-old with no interest in crayons. In the first picture, he’s using a palmar supinate grasp, which is typically seen in 1 to 1 ½ year olds. His mom, a teacher that I work, with approached me looking for help. Her question:

How can I change my child’s grasp?

Harry’s preferred grasp was a palmar supinate, using the pinky side of his hand to control the movement of the crayon. This grasp was inefficient and immature for his age. It also didn’t allow the small isolated movements of his fingers during writing and drawing activities. Coloring and drawing are a significant source of the fine motor exercise a 4-year-old child should be getting. So if the child isn’t using the right muscles for the activity, they are missing out on valuable strengthening time.

As you can see by the 2nd image above, Harry’s mom took my recommendations – and it WORKED!

I’m so excited to share my favorite trick to stop kids from using too many fingers AND 2 magical crayons to use. But here’s why these tricks are important for parents and teachers to know.

I always say how much I love being an OT. I also love to learn. I’ve been so lucky that I’m still energized and excited about my profession.

However….. sometimes you need to shake things up a bit.

Last year, I became certified in PuzzleArt Therapy Systems, a form of therapy that combines Perceptual, Oculomotor, Binocular and PuzzleArt Therapy Sensory protocols using hands-on art. I’ve always been interested in the vision aspect of Occupational Therapy, so I was really eager to learn new ways to incorporate PuzzleArt Therapy into my Occupational Therapy sessions.

What is PuzzleArt Therapy? PuzzleArt Therapy is a program designed to assess and remediate problems with visual motor integration, visual perceptual skills, oculomotor skills, etc.

The course is taught by International PuzzleArtist Alli Berman and Dr. Susan Fisher, a respected Optometrist in Westbury, NY. Occupational Therapists Linda Telford and Serena Zeidler also helped to design the materials to give a therapist’s perspective on the program.

If you are an OT, this course is accredited by NYSOTA and NBCOT. You can get a certification in PuzzleArt Therapy Systems while getting your CEU’s all in one day.